June 25, 2012

White Sox prospect Carlos Sanchez, a 19 year old out of the Dominican Republic, has seen some time at shortstop , but having split time between shortstop and second base in his career, we’ll almost assuredly see him at second base in the Futures Game. Sanchez, 5’11″, 175, isn’t the caliber of prospect of any of the players above, but he has promise and has been playing out of his mind in 2012. Sanchez features a compact swing with little power, but he hits a lot of line drives, mostly singles, and has the speed to beat out groundballs. Sanche also can bunt for base hits. Sanchez’s bat speed is average, but his pitch recognition has made serious progress and he draws a fair amount of walks. Sanchez is very fast, but he needs a ton of work reading pitchers on the basepaths, not only to steal bases but even to take extra-bases. His instincts on the bases simply aren’t there right now and he’s not nearly a good enough baserunner as he should be with his speed. Defensively, Sanchez is able to put his speed to better use, and he has soft hands with a strong arm, tools that have allowed him to see time at shortstop as well even though his future is at second base. Sanchez doesn’t have elite upside, but has room to grow in terms of hitting, his plate discipline, and especially on the basepaths. In 2012, Sanchez has really impressed offensively at High-A, posting a .325/.380/.405 line with 13 doubles, 3 triples, 1 homer, 33 RBI, and 13 of 24 steals. Sanchez has struck out 47 times versus 23 walks, and he has played 40 games at shortstop versus 29 at second base. Sanchez has been a breakout prospect for the White Sox this year, and it got him to Futures Game and we’ll see just how far it can get him.

6’03” 225lbs DOB: 09/04/90 | Full Scouting ReportBeck is a strong right-hander who may not be the first college arm to come off Draft boards, but a strong junior season could have him in the top of the first-round discussion.The Georgia native has the chance to have three pitches that will be Major League average or better. He can run his fastball up to 94 mph, sitting comfortably at 92-93 mph, and he maintains his velocity deep into starts. When he stays on top of his slider, it’s a sharp breaking ball with late tilt. His changeup is above-average with late sink and a lot of deception. He can throw all three pitches for strikes and has a very good feel for pitching.For a guy with his size and stuff — think a Kyle Davies type with more power — he doesn’t always throw like a power arm. His fastball will flatten out at times and his slider isn’t always crisp, but if he would pitch off of his fastball more, he could be even better, a frontline starter with three weapons to choose from.

108

DeMichele, Joey

Arizona State, AZ

2B

L/R

JR

5’11” 190lbs DOB:
02/05/91 | Scouting VideoDeMichele has played second base and third base at Arizona State but has shown solid defense at second. He has good power and has shown that he can consistently drive in runs. He also has solid average speed to go along with good instincts, which should allow him to be a base stealing threat in pro ball.

6’08” 215lbs DOB:
04/20/91 | Full
Scouting ReportIn 2005, Craig Hansen was a first-round pick out of St. John’s as a college reliever. Now it’s his younger brother’s turn. Kyle Hansen is a starter right now, but he might follow his big bro as a relief pitcher at the next level. His deceptive delivery allows his solid average to above-average fastball play up. He couples it with a sweeping slider that gets right-handed hitters to chase. He even has a changeup, which could be a Major League average pitch if he begins to use it more. All arms and legs, Hansen’s mechanics can come apart a bit, impacting his command. He pitched effectively out of the pen in the Cape Cod League last summer, and if he harnesses his stuff and delivery, he could have a ton of potential in that role.

231

Barraza, Jose

Sunnyside HS, CA

C

L/R

HS

6’01” 220lbs DOB:
07/28/94

261

Isler, Zach

Cincinnati, OH

RHP

R/R

JR

6’04” 235lbs DOB:
10/31/90

291

Johnson, Micah

Indiana, IN

2B

L/R

JR

5’11” 200lbs DOB:
12/18/90Johnson’s season started late because of elbow surgery, and he struggled to find a rhythm at the plate. Before the surgery, he showed plus speed on the basepaths, with the ability to take walks and hit for average. He is also a solid defender at second, with good range.

Nestor Molina RHP White Sox – age 23– Leading the SL in walk rate with just a 3.2%. He was the key piece to the Sergio Santos deal and will need to up the K rate some if he’s going to be that mid rotation starter the Sox hoped they were getting. He has excellent command of his pitch arsenal. Can he be dominant? One answer to many questions is that he is a SP long term. But where does he slot?

Jose Quintana LHP White Sox – age 23 – Another lesser known arm. This lefty has struck out 26 in 35.1 IP with a 3.03 ERA. The production is there for the southpaw and he’s walked just 7.3% of hitters. He’s bounced from the Mets to the Yankees and now with the White Sox he may be poised tos tep forward as a SP option.

Andre Rienzo, RHP White Sox – Age 23 – Rienzo has toiled around the White Sox organization since signing out of the Dominican Republic in 2006. He’s been effective, yet not dominant in his 5 seasons of professional ball. In his first go round in the Carolina League he went 6-5 with a 3.41 ERA and 118/66 K/BB ratio for 2011. The walks were concerning to us, coupled with the fact he gave up 108 hits. He’s lucky his ERA wasn’t much higher. Pan forward to 2012 and he was off to a 3-0 start with a 1.08 ERA a 31/7 K/BB ratio over 25 innings. Throw in just 17 hits and he’s got a sub 1.00 WHIP. Sadly, He’s been suspended for 50 games for violating Minor League Baseball’s drug prevention and treatment program.

Rangel Ravelo, 3B White Sox – Age 19 – The soon to be 20-year-old (2 days) has been on our radar for a while now. He appeared at #339° on our Baseball Instinct 360°preview and while it’s early, the power is starting to develop. He’s batting a healthy .386/.413/.561 through 57 at bats. With the bigger hacks have come more K’s, though 10 is acceptable. Where improvement is needed is working the count and taking a walk. He has just 2 BB so far.

John Danks is set to start the team’s Cactus league road opener on Tuesday in Tempe against the Angels, with Jake Peavy pitching Wednesday at home against the Brewers and Gavin Floyd on Thursday in Surprise against the two-time defending American League champs from Texas. With Chris Sale pitching Friday in Glendale against the Cubs, the opening rotation appears to be set up, although nothing official has been announced by manager Robin Ventura past Humber on Monday.

Jose Quintana starts Monday’s “B” game against the Indians, with Simon Castro and Brian Bruney also pitching. Will Ohman, Jesse Crain, Addison Reed, Hector Santiago, Pedro Hernandez, Charlie Leesman and Nestor Molina pitch Monday after Humber, who is ready to test his early work in actual games.

February 3, 2012

Gas, cheese, heat. These are the best tools in Jeffrey Soptic’s arsenal. He takes advantage of his size and at 6’6″, he should get stronger as he develops. I don’t need to tell you that a guy who can hit a consistent 96 mph throughout an entire inning, let alone an entire start, is rare. If the MLB was full of them it would be a little too rough for the hitters. Soptic’s main issue has been to learn to pitch low in the zone with his fastball. It’s currently very flat despite the plus velocity.

His slider is a pitch that can flash plus, which is promising but he really needs to develop it further and gain more consistency. It would be to his advantage to work on a nasty sinker for those batters sitting on the fastball.

The Mechanics

Jeffrey Soptic has a smooth and easy delivery and uses his size and arm strength to deliver his high 90s, and at times 100 plus, velocity. His mechanics are solid and sound; no need for polishing in that area especially since he profiles so well at the back of the pen.

Soptic pitched 2.2 innings in Bristol after he got drafted in June 2011:

January 26, 2012

His fastball rates plus with mid-to-late 90s velocity and tailing action into right-handed hitters. He spot his heat at both sides of the plate and shows above average command of all his pitches.

The slider has been labeled a plus-plus pitch by some scouts. Terrific downward biting action. He throws it with great confidence. A true swing’ n’ miss offering.

His change-up has been called average. which in fine since his likely destination is the bullpen and the fastball/slider combo is plenty good enough there. It’s a pitch he could show from time to time to give left-handed hitters something to think about. …

January 8, 2012

75°. Nestor Molina, RHP, White Sox, 1/9/1989 – Molina’s best pitch is a 91-93 mph fastball that he commands very well. With just 16 walks in 130.1 innings in 2011 he’s a pitcher who hits his spots and doesn’t beat himself. He works fastballs low and outside painting the black and uses a sinker to get ground balls and a slider as an out pitch. His 4 seam is an average pitch with plus command, but the sinker is a plus pitch with movement and command. He slid right into the top of the White Sox SP prospect ranks. While he isn’t an Ace type, his pitch mix and command make him a nice bet to fill out the #4 spot in a rotation. His frame is a little small, so workhorse #3 is unlikely, but sometimes pitchers are just better than their peripherals. Molina is one of those guys. ETA 2013.

Jaye signed for $250,000 at the 2010 draft signing deadline and made his pro debut with Bluefield last year. A two-way player in high school, he attracted attention from the Blue Jays with his arm speed, fastball life and command. Jaye sat 85-86 mph and scraped 91 in high school, but he was touching 95 by the time instructional league rolled around in 2010. Tall and lean, Jaye has an athletic delivery. His fastball has good sink to it, but his secondary stuff is a work in progress. He has shown feel for a changeup and started working with a slider in pro ball after using a curve in high school. Jaye offers intriguing upside but is several years away.

Webb pulled down $450,000 at the 2009 draft signing deadline as the top pitching prospect from Florida junior college ranks. He neglected to sign with the Diamondbacks as a 12th-round pick out of high school in 2008, a year in which just two prep righties went in the draft’s first round—Ethan Martin and Gerrit Cole. Webb ranked as No. 48 overall draft prospect that year. He has a good pitcher’s frame and a live arm that produces a plus fastball, but most scouts think he’ll eventually move to the bullpen because of his slingy arm action and lack of command. He shows feel for a changeup, but his curveball still needs work.